Uzumaki

Junji Ito is one of the most celebrated mangakas, known for his signature style in the horror genre. His famous works, including Tomie, Gyo, Uzumaki, Remina, and many short-form mangas and one-shots, have garnered a massive fanbase, not just in the horror space but throughout the entire manga community. Iconic moments and memorable scares, brought to life through his finely detailed panels, have cemented his work in pop culture. Given this impact, it's inevitable that Junji Ito's works would be adapted into anime, where their reach could theoretically expand significantly. However, for the longest time, this potential hasn't fully materialized. This is mostly due to the reputation of Horror in the anime space. ***

Is Horror Adaptable?

Horror is a genre that's largely been unexplored in the anime space as of late; this has mostly been concise of cheap and tame jumpscares rather than quality storytelling with its world. There are exceptions on this, namely Mononoke, Higurashi, Perfect Blue, and Shiki, but one thing that's consistent with the horror genre, namely the first season of The Promised Neverland and the first half of Wonder Egg Priority, is that it's only good in its first run, but later parts became stale, either by having a half-baked, unconvincing story that fails to keep it's novelty due to running out of creative ideas, or the direction becomes half-assed that becomes unintentionally bad; it becomes comedic. Another issue is that horror shows are largely a subgenre from another larger, more appealing genre such as action, drama, or thriller; this results in the horror genre being left aside as a filler rather than a fully baked story, not being given a proper budget and creative passion to fully flesh out its potential. This has been largely true for anime adaptations of Junji Ito’s works that mainly consisted of cheap execution, poor imitations from the source material that's downright laughable, and insulting from the original source material. And finally, there are pure horror shows that just did not hit as they wanted to because of their limited resources and poor direction.

Junji Ito's works have notoriously struggled in anime adaptations. From the numerous failures of the Junji Ito Collection series, which included Tomie, to the abysmal movie adaptation of Gyo, respected works by Junji Ito have consistently been done a disservice in these adaptations. While many of the factors I previously mentioned contribute to these failures, there's another crucial issue: Junji Ito's works are, in many ways, unadaptable. His unique art style, the captivating horror atmosphere, and his quirky, nonsensical yet seriously committed storytelling are perfectly suited for the manga medium. Attempting to replicate this distinctiveness in animation often feels like a poor imitation, even bordering on disrespecting the original material. Simply put, don’t bother adapting a Junji Ito work unless he is 100% involved.

When Uzumaki was announced, there has been little confidence from fans, but director and storyboard artist Hiroshi Nagahama (Director for Mushishi) has been determined to produce a respectable adaptation that not only brings Junji Ito’s work the respect it deserves but shapes the anime industry and screams “Horror Works for this Medium.” on behalf of the promises made when the project was first announced. ***

Uzumaki: Good or Bad?

This review will not focus on the quality or the pacing of the story, as there are already numerous reviews and opinions online—particularly on AniList, where it's been described as anything from a masterpiece to messy, or simply fine. These opinions have remained consistent with the adaptation as there has been little to no changes with its story when it was adapted, which may be a positive or negative depending on viewers. Setting that aside, this review will primarily explore the technical aspects of the direction, which is what initially caught my attention.

One notable aspect of Uzumaki is the conscious decision to keep the adaptation monochromatic. This not only gives the anime a "moving manga" feel but also successfully recaptures Junji Ito's art style, which is key to its unsettling atmosphere. While it may still feel like an imitation of his work, it's the closest adaptation we've seen so far. The slight jankiness in the characters' movements that might emit from a mixture of CG and Rotoscoping might be jarring for some viewers, but for me, it added an extra layer of uneasiness. This effect is enhanced by the excellent sound design and score, which pull you into the world just as much as the animation does. The first episode alone is wonderful and meticulously well-made, standing out in the anime space like nothing else. It firmly established its place in the industry—but only the first episode.

As many of you reading this review may know, episode 2 and the following episodes became infamous for their animation and direction, which didn't live up to the impact of episode 1. It feels like you're watching an entirely different show, with a different team trying to produce the same product—because, in a sense, it basically is. Personally, while the later episodes still stand above many of their contemporaries, the drastic quality shift after episode 1 from its lackluster animation and unimlacful direction, coupled with the long-awaited promises, disappointed fans—and the online backlash is understandable. There's little confirmed information about the sudden drop in quality, but according to the Anilist database and the show’s credits, there’s a noticeable difference in the staff involved in each episode. This could explain the shift in quality, but with no clear answers emerging, it points to potential negligence from the studio overseeing the project.

Some argue that animation quality shouldn’t matter as long as the story drives the series forward—and in a way, the story and pacing remained consistent throughout. However, this is a Junji Ito adaptation, where the visuals are a core strength and a major selling point, which also contributed to a couple of delays. The loyal fanbase, after years of waiting for a high-quality and respected adaptation, ultimately received what they feared.

A disappointment of an adaptation that only fulfilled its promise by up to 25% ***

Conclusion

Junji Ito’s works are inherently difficult to adapt due to the unique way his storytelling complements his distinctive art style. The reading experience in his manga is vastly superior to the various adaptations we've seen. This anime sparked many discussions about adaptations in general, with some suggesting that we should leave them alone and encourage people to experience the source material in its purest form—which I wouldn’t disagree with.. That said, Uzumaki is perhaps the closest we've come to capturing the essence of his work in an entertainingly Junji Itou way.

Although it faced some huge missteps along the way and the promises that wisped away, sparking division among fans, it still serves as an example that horror shows—including visually-forward artists such as Junji Ito’s works—can succeed in the anime space—provided creators invest the necessary resources, budget, passion, and overall care into the project. ***